This is the most absurd ignorant crap I’ve ever heard, the fact that you refer to this as the “PERFECT SIZE” is like Steve said Pretentious. You build and design logos for your target audience and placement. This is nothing more than a generalization based on one specific group, signs and billboards. It’s no wonder why hertz and avis have logos sized to those dimensions. They built a logo that was meant to be seen on a sign. In a large scale that ratio works fine the same way everyone now has widescreen TVs. If the only place your logo will be seen is on signs go for it.

But to say that’s it’s the perfect size everyone should follow it ignorant.

Build your logo for your target audience and use it to frame your product.
Victoria’s Secrets name and logo was probably built on the notion of framing the store. If you’ve ever walked by one of their stores you’d notice how the logo was set up to be horizontal on purpose. They are framing the store front, the boutique they use to sell their merchandise, that’s the image they want you to identify with.

Starbucks uses a circle logo. WHY?
They used a format that best fits their product; they created an icon for people to identify with.
Ever take a look at your desktop? All icons are square, a simple shape your mind can identify with.
Apple computers? Once again it’s a square shaped apple, a visual icon people can mentally relate to without the need of text.


Dominos pizza is square for a reason. It’s the perfect size for their packaging a square pizza box.
They get more advertising from people seeing their logo on a pizza box than a sign or billboard.

Take strictly online companies and another example. They don’t advertise on large billboards or signs. They use the web in which case horizontal logos seems to work best.
They fit the size of their header, along with the horizontal format of banners where they might be doing most of their advertising.

There is no one perfect size for logos.

There are guidelines for creating balance. Determining its shape and placement within negative space, all of which is relative to the format you wish your logo to be seen in.


If the only place your logo is going to seen is a large SIGN outside, then yes, in that case I agree with Al.

This is so pretentious and narrow minded, it comes off as comical ... like an SNL skit. Designing logotypes to all fit within a particular horizontal shape and proportion is absurd. What's next for Al ... expounding on architecture about the proper width to height proportion of buildings? (He must hate skyscrapers.) Now I'm wondering why all his books are vertical.

Sorry Al, but this is very narrow minded.